Photography for Beginners: Things You Should Know

Like in the case of any other profession, being a photographer requires a specific set of skills, including creativity, allowing one to capture shots that can effectively send a message. No one is born a photographer. The best photographers learn through consistent practice and having the determination to improve in their craft. They did not capture the best shot in just a single take. With this, in the rest of this post, I will share with you some of the things that will be helpful for aspiring photographers. Through these tips, every novice in photography can learn a thing or two.

Rule of Thirds

This is perhaps one of the first things that you should know when it comes to photography. This is taught in every photography course and you will find it very useful in framing the perfect shot. Even if you are just using your mobile phone to snap a photo, this rule will still be applicable. Based on the principles of the rule of thirds, your subject should never be placed in the center. The screen of your camera has an option where you can have a grid. There will be two vertical lines and two horizontal lines, dividing the screen into 9 squares. For better composition, the subject should be placed along the lines or the intersection, but never inside any of the circles.

Learn Technical Details

Getting technical with your shots can prove to be a difficult thing to learn. By being technical, this means that you should learn these three things:

ISO/Exposure: This is all about the sensitivity of your camera with light. If the ISO is high, it will allow you to take clearer photos even if the environment has low light. However, this will result into having a shot that appears to be grainier. With this, a lower ISO setting is often preferred, but such is not always possible, especially when shooting in a dark place.

Aperture: It is indicative of the focal length and is all about the size of the opening of the camera’s lens. If the aperture is higher, it simply means that there is a smaller hole allowing the entry of light, and hence, resulting into better sharpness and focus. On the other hand, when the opening is larger, the objects on the background will tend to be out of focus.

Shutter Speed: This basically refers to how long the shutter will remain to be open. If it is opened longer, more light will be allowed. If it is left open for a longer span of time, motion in the photo will be shown. When it is opened for a shorter time, on the other hand, only a single moment will be shown.

Keep it Stable

Many beginners in photography tend to have a problem with stabilization. This means that you can end up having a blurry shot. The number one culprit for such is the shaking of your hand, which is especially true if the camera is heavier than what you can comfortably handle. You might want to consider using the built-in flash in low light conditions to have more stable shots. The best solution is to use a tripod. There are also many cameras with more advanced features like an optical image stabilization.

Consider Post-Processing

The photos that you can see in magazines, websites, and other materials are most often not the original shots. They have undergone post-processing in order to provide them with sharper colors and richer appearance. With this, more than photography, you should also know how to use editing or post-processing software, like in the case of Photoshop. This will make it easy for you to improve the composition of your photo.

Choose the Right Camera

If you are a beginner, choose a camera that is suited for your level of knowledge and skills. Never make the mistake of buying an expensive camera that is meant for the pros. Start with a cheap and basic model with features that are easy to use. See to it that the camera is intuitive so that it will make things easier to learn for you.

Keep on Practicing

Let me tell you, it is not going to be easy. I have heard of many people who started out full of enthusiasm but they soon gave up because things proved to be harder than what they thought. I suggest that you just keep on practicing until you reach perfection in your craft. Take pictures of random strangers, your dinner for tonight, your bedroom, or the garden outside your house. Snap photos of random subjects. Let your creativity flow. Before you even take a shot, think of the message you would want to convey. Every picture should have meaning for your shots to be appreciated by other people.

Is there any tip that I missed? Feel free to comment below and share with us your thoughts.